Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infectious disease that sends both men and women to seek treatment. In the United States, UTI accounts for >7 million office visits and >1 million emergency room visits, necessitating 100,000 hospitalizations annually (Schappert S M. Vital Health Stat 1997; 13:1-38; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Most community-acquired UTIs are due to infection by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) that elicit an inflammatory response in the bladder during acute bacterial cystitis. Patients with UTI frequently have symptoms that include dysuria, voiding frequency or urgency, and pelvic pain. In contrast, ˜5% of patients with UTI do not exhibit any of these symptoms and receive a diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) (Nicolle et al., Clin Infect Dis 2005; 40:643-654; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Although most patients with UTI experience pelvic pain, the mechanism underlying UTI-induced pelvic pain remains unknown.
UTIs are generally treated with antibiotics as a first line of treatment. Drugs most commonly recommended for simple UTIs include amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrodantin), trimethoprim (Proloprim) and the antibiotic combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra). For severe UTIs, hospitalization and treatment with intravenous antibiotics may be necessary. However, many antibiotic resistant bacteria are present in the environment, especially in hospital and other health care settings. Thus, additional treatments for UTIs are needed.